PTSD and obesity in the Detroit neighborhood health study

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been associated with adverse health consequences, including overweight, obesity and cardiovascular disease. African Americans, particularly women, have among the highest rates of overweight and obesity in the U.S. compared to other racial groups. High rates of violence exposure in urban African Americans may lead to the development of PTSD and increase risk for overweight and obesity. The current study investigated the comorbidity of lifetime PTSD and overweight/obesity in a population-based African American, urban sample.

Data were from 463 African American male and female participants of the Detroit Neighborhood Health Study. Multivariable logistic regression models estimated the impact of lifetime PTSD on risk for overweight and obesity.

The prevalence of obesity was significantly higher among women (60.9%) than men (33.1%; P<.001). In sex-stratified models, after controlling for demographic variables, PTSD was associated obesity (odds ratio=4.4, 95% confidence interval: 1.3, 14.3) only among women.

PTSD was associated with obesity, after controlling for confounding variables, among African American women. Results underscore the contribution of PTSD to obesity among African American women and the importance of addressing the physical health correlates of women with PTSD.